Unscheduled Vacation Time
by Anakin T Skywalker
Summary: Anakin's life has stabilized and is just the way he wants it to be - to a point! AU, obviously.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: You really think that, if I owned Star Wars, I'd limit myself to writing fan fiction? Seriously, if it were mine, I'd totally be writing some novels by now!**

I am working on pre-writes of several longer stories at this time, but feel like I will go insane if I don't actually post something soon! And don't you dare question the possibility of my becoming more insane than I presently am!

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_In this story, Palpatine is dead and Anakin has disclosed his marriage to the Jedi Council, but they have allowed him to remain a Jedi. He has, in fact, recently been elected to the Council himself. All the Jedi Masters have decided to be nice to him (finally!) In short, everything's great for him right now. Well, almost…_

"He's late again," remarked Ki-Adi-Mundi to no one in particular. The Jedi Council was in session – or would have been if its newest member had arrived.

"Isn't he later than usual this time?" asked Plo Koon from beneath his mask.

"No," said Obi-wan Kenobi. "He's always exactly five standard minutes late. By that reckoning, he has another… twenty-eight seconds."

"Stop making excuses for the boy," said Mace Windu – but his eyes betrayed his mild amusement.

Kit Fisto wasn't amused. The famous smile that always accompanied him into battle was missing today. "We just gave him nearly a week off! Couldn't he manage to be on time just once?"

Obi-wan shook his head ruefully. Anakin's twenty-eight seconds had expired. "Young children require a lot of care, and can be very unpredictable. If Anakin's children are anything like what he was even at the age of ten…"

This elicited a smile from every member of the Council. If that were true, their often-mischievous Chosen One might have met his match.

Anakin's customary five minutes lengthened into seven and a half. "What is keeping the boy?" wondered Stass Allie.

At that moment, Anakin burst into the room. He was slightly out of breath, and his eyelids drooped. "Ah, hi," he panted.

"Eloquent, as usual," said Saesee Tiin dryly.

"Beginning to worry, we were, young one," admonished Yoda gently, almost teasingly.

Anakin stopped in the middle of the room and threw a dramatic, supplicatory gaze towards the ceiling of the chamber. "I am twenty-five years old!" he shouted in mock exasperation. "I am married and have three-year-old twins! Why is it that I am still a 'boy' and a 'young one'?"

"Age is relative, young Skywalker," said Yoda, earning a brief chuckle from everyone.

"Speaking of your family, how are they? I heard they were ill," inquired Stass Allie.

"Yes, they're all just getting over stomach flu. Luke came down with it five days ago, and Padmé and Leia got it the day after that. I'm the only one who hasn't gotten it. I can't thank you enough for giving me that time off to take care of them; it's hard enough for Padmé care for two sick toddlers when she's well. She never would have made it while she was sick herself. It's been rough; she needs to sleep, but the twins keep waking her up, so I've been pretty much taking care of all three of them around the clock. I'm sorry I'm late, but I wanted to make sure the twins were asleep before she left. I don't want her to overtax herself trying to take care of them."

"Well, I hope they all recover nicely," said Obi-wan. "But now, let's begin this meeting so you can return to them as soon as possible."

"I second that motion," sighed Anakin, sinking wearily into his seat.

They began their discussion. Things had been much calmer since Anakin had removed the threat of the Sith from the galaxy – so much so, in fact, that the Jedi were almost wondering what to do with themselves. It had been so long since they had focused on study of the Force for its own sake that it seemed a strange concept to many of the younglings. The Council spoke of putting more emphasis on the original purpose of the Jedi into the children's early training. Halfway between that and the discussion of who to send to settle the boundary dispute on Makisto, Obi-wan noticed Anakin's eyelids sagging shut and his head nodding. The young man perked up a bit at the possibility of action, but he stayed on Coruscant most of the time these days because of his family, although he occasionally ferried Jedi to planets upon which they were needed. Obi-wan knew that the likelihood of Anakin making it through the entire meeting was very slim – although the Council meetings were now much shorter than they had been during the war, this meeting still had as much as two hours left to it.

Sure enough, by the time they got to the progress of the search for additional sources of Ilum crystals, Anakin's eyes were closed and his head was tilted back, resting on the back of his chair.

When they spoke of the request from the citizens of Tatooine that something be done about the Tusken raiders, Mace Windu directed a question to Anakin. The young Jedi's only response was to suddenly tense for a moment, then slump over the side of his chair. Half the Council frowned, the other half smiled as they watched him sleep. "Poor boy," said Stass Allie. "He was telling the truth about his family – he's absolutely exhausted."

"Let's allow him to sleep," said Kit Fisto, and impish expression flitting across his face. "We'll wake him when the meeting's over – or better yet, just let him wake up on his own and find the chamber empty. It will be a gentle reprimand not to do this again. Also," he admitted somewhat shamefacedly, "I want to see his face when he wakes up!"

This was one vote on which the Council unanimously agreed – without the aid of the Force! When the meeting was done, each member crept from the camber as quietly as usual, then took off to the security room where they could watch the hologram.

To his credit, it was only an hour after the Council had adjourned when Anakin woke up. He slowly opened his eyes, then shut them again, then opened them once more, this time focusing on his surroundings. The Council members all smiled as they watched Anakin wake up fully, glance frantically from empty chair to empty chair, then run from the room looking almost comically horrified.

Then Obi-wan ran to intercept his young friend and to assure him that all was well. He was walking down one of the hallways when Anakin smacked into him at full speed, sending both of them sprawling on the ground.

"Well!" exclaimed Obi-wan in surprise. "I was expecting several things, but that was not one of them."

"I'm sorry." Anakin apologized breathlessly. "Is the Council mad at me?"

"No, on the contrary. We all found it rather amusing. Your presence certainly makes things more lively on the Council."

"D-d-don't do that to me again!" begged Anakin, still shaky.

"Only if you fall asleep again," chuckled Obi-wan. "Now, my friend, I suggest you go home – and may I recommend that you get some rest?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Star Wars!**

I have a couple of requests to continue this, so I shall – but in short chapters, as it is not my primary work right now. I actually didn't have much of a plan beyond that first chapter, but I have a few vague ideas. So, here goes!

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Anakin gladly took Obi-wan's advice and set off in his speeder to his apartment. He had plans to rest and relax a bit with his wife and kids, and hopefully be more alert when he returned the next morning. Little did he know what awaited him at home.

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Obi-wan fully expected his friend to be refreshed and alert when he arrived at the Temple the next morning. Instead, Anakin again walked in late, looking, if possible, more tired than the day before.

"Anakin!" exclaimed Obi-wan. "You look exhausted! Did you get any rest at all?"

Anakin smiled ruefully. "The Force had other plans," he said. "Padmé fell asleep on the couch while dinner was in the oven, and the twins woke up from their naps before she did. Do you have any idea how hyperactive three-year-olds who have just recovered from the flu can be? Especially _twin_ three-year-olds. When I got back, they had pulled down two sets of curtains, and dragged all of the chairs from around the table into the refresher, where they used them to make a tent with the sheets from all of the beds in the house. Why in the refresher? Because they wanted to have a house by the lake, like where Mommy and Daddy were married. This meant filling up the bathtub. Then Leia, the creative one, remembered that Mommy said there were flowers and beautiful sunsets by the lake. Those are rather scarce in our refresher, so she and Luke got out their paint sets – I still have no idea how they got them off the high shelf – and painted pictures on the sheets, using water from the bathtub, which was overflowing. This was all mostly Leia's idea; she's rather precocious. And Luke goes along with whatever she comes up with.

So I walk in the door to find dinner burning, the kids painting the sheets in the flooded refresher, and all the while, Padmé's still asleep on the couch. I decided if she had slept through all of that, she must need the rest, so I let her sleep, turned the oven off and got the kids into dry clothes. Then I gave them a brief scolding and told them to be good and not wake Mommy while I cleaned up the refresher and put new sheets on the beds. Their idea of being good was trying to set the table for dinner. I was carrying the chairs back out to the table when I discovered Luke and Leia fighting over who got to put out the plates. Neither of them like doing the silverware because they can't remember where the different pieces go. Anyway, Leia threw the silverware all over the floor and grabbed the stack of plates, but Luke managed to get three of them away from her. She solved that problem by breaking the other one on Luke's head. I woke Padmé up and we rushed Luke to emergency care, but it turned out he only needed three stitches; he's got a pretty hard head.

Anyway, it was about 1830 hours when we got back, and the kids were getting hungry, so I took them all out to eat. Three-year-olds who have just recovered from the flu go very quickly from hyper to cranky, especially when one of them has been smacked on the head and the other one has been scolded and punished for smacking him. They were both screaming when we left the restaurant, but they both fell asleep in the speeder on the way home. Of course, they woke up the moment we got inside the house and were cheerful and hyper again. Padmé finally got them to settle down and watch a holovid while I finished cleaning out the refresher. Of course, due to their impromptu nap, we had a hard time getting them to go to bed. Three stories and three glasses of water for each of them. When they finally settled down, I told Padmé to go lie down while I cleaned up the burnt dinner and the broken plate in the kitchen. I figured, she had to survive this kind of thing every day, so the least I could do was take care of it this once until she was fully recovered.

It took me almost until 2130 hours to get that pan clean of all the burnt food. Then, once I finally got into bed, Luke had a bad dream and started screaming, which woke up Leia. It took two more stories to calm them down; then Luke wanted another glass of water, which meant Leia had to have one, too. I finally got them back to sleep around 100 hours and was just settling in to sleep myself, when Luke woke up again, naturally, and had to use the 'fresher. I took him to the 'fresher, put him back to bed, and was dozing off when Leia woke up and started crying because she'd wet the bed. So I got up again, bathed her and put her in dry pajamas, changed her sheets and put her back to bed. By then, it was 300 hours. I went to sleep and had a really strange dream of my own, which woke me up. It wasn't really a bad dream – just weird –but for some reason, it had me wide awake. This was around 400 hours. Then of course, the sun started to rise, and I couldn't get back to sleep, even though I was dead tired. I got up and made breakfast for everyone, then helped get the kids dressed when they woke up, and then I came here. Obi-wan, I love my kids and would do anything in the world for them, but sometimes they can be such troublemakers!" Anakin finished.

Obi-wan smiled. "Now you know how you made me feel!" he teased.

Anakin looked horrified. "I was never _that _bad!"

"No, you were much worse," Obi-wan groaned. "I'm sorry you had such a difficult night, especially since you're slotted to teach a class on basic levitation to the five-year-olds this morning."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Mine, Star Wars still is not.**

Yes, I know it's short. But I have lots of homework that takes priority over this, and morning classes tomorrow!

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Later than morning, Obi-wan watched his former Padawan with a smile. The young man never failed to captivate the attention of small children, even today when Obi-wan he was dead tired. Obi-wan almost didn't want to ask Anakin for the favor the Jedi needed, but knew he should anyway.

When the class was over, Obi-wan pulled Anakin aside. "Knight Injam and her Padawan need transportation to Makisto –today. The situation there has worsened. It's not far away; you'd be dropping them off and coming back yourself, and you'd only be home about an hour later than usual. I know you're tired, but" –

"Hey, I can do that!" Anakin cut in, perking up at the chance to fly. "No problem! It's an easy route – I could probably fly it in my sleep! Besides, if tonight is anything like last night with the kids, it'll be much more relaxing than going home would be! I just hate to leave poor Padmé to handle them all by herself."

"She can probably manage it," said Obi-wan, smiling gently. "She does take care of them every day while you're here."

"But she's not recovering from the flu on most days, and the twins aren't normally quite this active and troublesome. Still, I suppose you're right. She's mostly better now; surely they'll stay out of trouble for an extra hour. I'll send her a message to tell her that I'll be home later. If I don't, she gets all worried and upset. Imagine that!" he chuckled at a joke he and Obi-wan had shared back during the clone Wars. "I've finally found someone else to worry about me!"

Anakin seemed to get a new burst of energy from the prospect of getting to walk the skies in a ship once again. Obi-wan started to feel better. Maybe Anakin was up to this after all. After a night like is former Padawan had had, Obi-wan hadn't been sure, but it now seemed everything would turn out all right.

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It was several hours later, nearing the time when Anakin should be arriving back when Obi-wan's holoreceiver signaled that there was an incoming transmission. It was Knight Injam. She was indignant.

"Kenobi, if you ever pull something like that on me again, I will have you before the Council for intentional endangerment and attempted murder!"

"What?" asked Obi-wan in astonishment. "What did I do?"

"You let your former Padawan pilot us! You know, Skywalker? Well, Sky_diver_'s more like it! You should have seen some of the stunts he pulled! Twisting a flipping the ship all over the galaxy! We begged him to stop, but he kept it up until we reached our hyperspace jump point. And then, he had the nerve to sulk the whole rest of the trip. When we came out of hyperspace, he flew us right over the spot where we were supposed to land and set us down kilometers from where we're supposed to be! He even tried to land the ship with his eyes shut!"

Obi-wan cringed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for him to do that. I apologize for him; he's had a fairly difficult couple of days"—

"Not as difficult as the one he's going to have when I get back!" She chuckled wryly. "Anyway, I'm never flying with him again!" she concluded. The hologram faded.

Obi-wan suddenly had a horrible thought. He rushed out to the landing pad to wait for his friend.

It was another hour and a half before the transport returned. It settled slowly and gently onto the landing pad, then its various systems disengaged. No one exited the craft however, and Obi-wan wondered what Anakin was doing. Why wasn't he coming out? Finally, Obi-wan went up to the entrance hatch and Forced his way in. When he reached the cockpit, there was Anakin, slumped over the controls, his eyes shut and his breathing deep and even. Obi-wan stood astounded for a minute, then shook Anakin a little roughly.

"Whaaa – agghhh!' Anakin jumped from the pilot's chair and rolled to the floor, arms flailing, startled. There was a _thump_ and an "Ow!", then Anakin came crawling out from under the console. He saw Obi-wan, then turned and looked out the window.

"Uhhhh…" he said. "I'm here."

Obi-wan nodded. "Yes. Now I'd like you to tell me how you got here in one piece."

Anakin looked sheepish. "Ummm… I don't remember the trip here," he admitted, turning red.

Obi-wan sighed. "Anakin, just because you _can _fly this ship on that route in your sleep doesn't mean you should!"

"I didn't mean to!" Anakin was quick to defend himself. "On the way there, I even did some fancy maneuvers to try to keep myself awake!"

Obi-wan looked toward the stars for patience. "Why didn't you try that on the way back?"

Anakin's face turned even redder. "I did," he confessed. "Didn't work."

"Obviously," said Obi-wan dryly. "Let me tell you what's going to happen: you will get out of this ship and get into a speeder, and I will drive you home, where you will get a good night's sleep if I have to Force you to sleep myself!"

"No, really, I'm okay now. I can get home by myself."

Obi-wan would have none of it. "I'm not trusting you in the sky again until you've rested!"

In the end, though Anakin protested, Obi-wan had his way.

"Fine," said Anakin as he climbed in to the passenger side. "Even though I'm not really tired anymore," he groused.

Within two minutes, he was dozing in the seat. He slept through the entire ride to his and Padmé's apartments. Obi-wan woke him and walked him to the door. "This time, promise me you'll actually rest!" he called after Anakin, then returned to the temple.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I am so incredibly sick of writing that I don't own Star Wars!**

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The next morning, a familiar drama took place in the Jedi Council chamber. Although Obi-wan thought perhaps the term 'drama' was a bit misleading, since what was going on was hardly dramatic.

They were waiting for Anakin – again.

"What's his excuse this time?" said Saesee Tiin.

"Has he forgotten, do you think, Obi-wan?" inquired Stass Allie.

"I don't think so," replied Obi-wan. "I reminded him of it yesterday at lunch time. He shouldn't have forgotten so quickly."

Obi-wan couldn't tell if Mace Windu looked more amused or resigned.

"Unfortunately, as we all know, Anakin has a history of doing things that he shouldn't," said the Korun Jedi Master, his tone one of mild exasperation.

"Then I will comm him and remind him of our meeting. Why don't you start the meeting, and I will join you once I have determined where he is? I did tell him yesterday that he ought to rest; perhaps he took my advice a little overboard. If you'll excuse me for a moment…"

Obi-wan went out into the hall and dialed Anakin's comm frequency. No answer. He sighed and found a room with a holotransceiver and contacted the one in Anakin's apartment. He waited several minutes before a blue hologram of Anakin appeared over the projector plate. He frowned: either Anakin _had _forgotten about the Council meeting or he had overslept; the young Jedi was wearing only his undershorts. Despite the fuzziness of the holoimage, Obi-wan could see that Anakin's eyes were still half-closed.

"Wake up, Anakin!" he commanded. "It is morning. Does that set off any alarms?"

Anakin stared dully for a moment, then closed his eyes and slowly, almost imperceptibly shook his head.

"How about the Council meeting? Anakin, I reminded you yesterday!"

Anakin's eyes snapped open again, but immediately fell to their half-lidded position. "Uhhh. Stars, Master, I'm sorry. I'll be there as soon as I can." He suddenly rushed out of view of the holoprojector.

"Wait! Anakin! You can't show up like that! Put some clothes on first!" teased Obi-wan, certain that Anakin could still hear him.

He was completely surprised when, just as he was about to turn the holotransceiver off, Padmé suddenly appeared above the projection plate. Her face was taut, and she looked annoyed. "Obi-wan, Anakin won't be coming in today; he's sick with that flu the rest of us all had. He threw up this morning and he's got a fever; I'm not letting him out of this apartment today, and maybe not even out of the bedroom."

Obi-wan felt sorry for the both of them. It couldn't be easy for Padmé, who was still recovering herself, to care for the rambunctious twins and her sick husband. He knew what a pain Anakin could be when he was sick.

In that moment, Obi-wan had an idea. He smiled; in a way, it was like something that Anakin might do.

"Oh, that's too bad," he said aloud. "I'll be right over."

Obi-wan quickly switched off the holotransceiver and hurried back to the Council chamber. "Anakin is ill," he informed them. "He won't be able to come today."

"His family seems to be having a rather hard time it," observed Ki-Adi-Mundi.

"Yes," said Obi-wan. "I would like to request permission to go to their apartment and offer my assistance."

There was silence for a moment. Then Yoda spoke: "With young Skywalker and his family, your thoughts will be. Send the rest of you also, we may as well."

"Thank you, Masters." Obi-wan turned and left the Council chamber and went to the hangar bay, from which he quickly flew his way to the Skywalker home. Arriving on their landing pad, he hopped out of his speeder and went to the door. His knocks were answered by Padmé, who stood firmly in the doorway, blocking his entrance.

"Have you Jedi no understanding?' she asked indignantly. "I told you: Anakin is sick. He's been puking his guts out all morning! He's not going to the Temple or anywhere else today! Is that clear?"

Obi-wan was taken aback. "Oh, no, Milady! I'm not here to try to take him to the Temple! I just want to help! I've cared for Anakin enough times to know that he can be difficult when he's not feeling well, and I thought that you, being barely well yourself, might like some assistance. So, I'm at your service. If you need someone to take care of the children while you tend to Anakin, I can do that. Or if you want some time with the children, then I will watch over Anakin. Or if you need to rest yourself, I can care for all of them for a while. I can even run to the store if there's something you run out of that you need."

Padmé broke into a smile. "Well, in that case, I accept your offer, even though you showed up uninvited!"

Obi-wan smiled and followed her into the main room of the house. It was dimly lit, and toys were strewn across the floor. Little blue-eyed, blond-headed Luke was running back and forth across the room, peeking into corners and under chairs, completely oblivious to the high-pitched giggles that were coming from behind the sofa. He went to a closet and slammed the door open, yelling "Foun' you!" then standing still in surprise when his sister did not appear. He began pulling cloaks down from hooks and stumbling over pairs of shoes in his search for his twin.

"Shhh! Luke! Leia, wherever you are! Daddy doesn't feel good and is trying to sleep!" Padmé whispered.

Luke turned around, a huge smile on his face, and nodded. He ran out of the closet, flung himself down in front of a cabinet, and began pulling out stacks of holodisks. Once the cabinet was completely empty, the little boy stuck his head inside and called loudly, "Leeeeiiaaa! Where aaaarre you?"

"I'm over here!" she squealed from behind the couch. Luke pounded across the floor and clambered over the top of the couch. "I foun' you! I foun' you!" he shouted.

Leia's shriek resonated off the walls.

"I said quiet!" said Padmé a little more forcefully this time. She turned to Obi-wan with an exasperated sigh. "I can't get them to be quiet! Anakin's sick enough right now that he actually wants to sleep, but that will change soon. I want him to be able to sleep now, while he still will!"

Obi-wan looked around. "Where would you like me to start?"

"Could I ask you to try to keep the kids out of trouble so I can go sit with Anakin?"

"Of course!"

Padmé called the twins. "You guys know Master Kenobi. He's going to keep an eye on you so I can go take care of Daddy. You be good and don't make a lot of noise, okay?"

The younglings nodded solemnly, their eyes wide. Padmé retreated into the master bedroom, and Obi-wan was left with the children.

"How are you today?" he asked them. "Fine," said Luke. "We gots ta be quiet because Daddy's sick!" he practically shouted.

Obi-wan smiled. "Yes, you're right. But being quiet is like this," he whispered.

"Okay," the little boy whispered back, before taking off to play.

"Yeah, Daddy's sick," said Leia, her brown eyes wide. "Mommy says he throwed up. I throwed up four days ago. Luke did, too. And Mommy. Maybe it's like we take turns. And now it's Daddy's turn. Except I don't want my turn to come again."

Obi-wan had to smile at the child's logic. "Don't worry, I don't think you'll have another turn for a little while now."

She grinned, shaking her golden-brown hair. Initially, it had been blonde like Luke's, but it grew darker with every passing day and would someday be the same rich, silky brown that her mother's was.

"Ooohhh! Look at!" she shouted, then remembered she was supposed to be quiet. "Mester Kenobi, can I tell you something?"

"What?"

The little girl tugged his sleeve until he knelt down so she could whisper in his ear. "Look at Lukie!" she said in the loudest whisper Obi-wan had ever heard. He turned around; there stood Luke, his short legs thrust into Anakin's boots, which came almost up to the little boy's hips. His head was completely hidden by the hood of Anakin's cloak, the rest of which trailed on the floor behind the ahild like the train of a brown wedding dress.

"Why are you wearing your daddy's clothes, Luke?" asked Obi-wan.

The boy was solemn. "Mommy said Daddy gots ta stay in bed, so I'll be Daddy until he's all better."

Obi-wan chuckled. "Do you know what your Daddy does for his job?"

"He's a Jedi an' he takes care of us."

"That's right! But you are his most important job. Did you know that?"

Both twins nodded, grinning hugely. "Daddy loves us," they both said in unison.

Obi-wan laughed again. "Yes, he does love you very much."

"Will Daddy be better soon? 'Cause his clothes is too big for Lukie!"

Luke's brow furrowed and his lower lip stuck out.

"Oh, Luke, it's all right, she didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Yes, I think Daddy will be better soon, especially if you are quiet and let him sleep. Luke, I think he would hardly recognize you all dressed up in his clothes like that! Why don't you put them back in the closet where they belong, and then I will tell you both a story?"

Luke's face brightened. "Okay," he agreed happily. "I like stories. And this thing is kinda hot. I guess I'll just wait and be Daddy when I grow up."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I wish Star Wars belonged to me, if for no other reason than that I wouldn't have to write disclaimers like this!**

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After spending several hours with Anakin's children, Obi-wan simply couldn't imagine them ever doing anything like flooding the refresher or painting sheets. And the idea of innocent, angelic little Leia breaking a plate on her brother's head seemed preposterous! Although Obi-wan couldn't imagine why Anakin would make up such a thing, unless it were to gain sympathy and attempt to excuse his lateness. He knew how he could find out for sure, though. He called Luke, and the child came obediently running from where the twins had been happily working together, building a wall of blocks. Obi-wan ran his hand through the boy's curls. Sure enough, there was a small bandage near his hairline, in a place where it was concealed by his blonde hair most of the time.

"Hmmm," murmured Obi-wan. So these children _weren't _always this well-behaved! He released Luke, and the youngling looked at him in confusion for a moment before running back to his blocks. Right now, watching them was effortless; they were happy and contented, playing quietly together whenever Obi-wan was not telling them a story.

As if to explain, Leia came up to him and whispered, "We're being quiet because Daddy's sick."

Obi-wan smiled at the little girl. "Yes, you are doing a very good job of it, too!"

She smiled angelically and opened her brown eyes wide. "Are we being good enough to have a snack?" she asked innocently.

Obi-wan chuckled, seeing the little girl's ploy to get herself and her brother a snack. "I will ask your Mommy if that's alright. In the meantime, why don't you and Luke put your blocks away?"

The children readily complied, and Obi-wan knocked on the door to the master bedroom. Padmé peeked out. "Yes, Obi-wan?"

"The children are asking for something to eat. Is there something I can give them?"

Padmé thought for a moment. "Can you hold them off for half an hour, until lunch time? Then I'll come out and feed them lunch, if you'll sit with Anakin. It's absurd, but you really have to watch him as closely as you watch them, or he'll try to get up. He really doesn't like staying in bed. Anyway, if the twins are getting bored, there's some color sticks and flimsiplast on the shelf in the front closet. We keep them out of reach ever since Luke tried to make our windows into stained glass."

She went back into the room, and Obi-wan went to locate the drawing materials. Then he called the children to the table. "Mommy says lunch time is in a short while, so she wants you to wait."

Disappointment showed on their faces, but they did not complain. Obi-wan showed them the art supplies. "While you're waiting, why don't you make "Get well" pictures for Daddy? It might cheer him up!"

Luke looked up at Obi-wan. "Why? Is Daddy sad to be sick?"

"Yes, Luke, your Daddy doesn't like to be sick because that means he has to stay in bed all day instead of going to work or playing with you."

"Then I'll make him a picture to make him happy. I don't like to stay in bed all day."

The children set to work making pictures. After they had been working a while, Obi-wan asked what they were drawing. Luke held up his picture. "This is Daddy and me and Leia and Mommy. My picture is 'cause in it, Daddy's all better and we're happy. See? I crossed out the bed 'cause he doesn't gots ta stay in bed all day, but only at night. See?"

Obi-wan smiled. He did indeed see the box in one corner, which had about eight large red lines drawn through it. He also saw Luke's representations of Padmé and Leia, with matching squiggles of brown for hair around their circular heads. Luke's portrait of himself was crowned with a yellow scribble, and for some reason, he had used orange to give his drawing of Anakin hair. Each face was complete with two dots for eyes and a half circle mouth, and each hand had three fingers on it – except for Anakin, who had a black rectangle scribbled over his arm to represent a glove.

"Oh, that's very nice, Luke! Good work!" And it was, for a three-year-old. Luke grinned and proceeded to draw a long blue stick sprouting from Anakin's "gloved" hand, to represent a lightsaber. Obi-wan smiled at that, knowing – or at least hoping – that Anakin did not commonly walk around with an ignited lightsaber while spending time with his family!

He turned to Leia. "And what are you drawing?"

"A gundark," she replied without looking up, totally absorbed in her work. Obi-wan was taken aback. The scribbles on the page bore much more resemblance to a triangle than one of the famed members of that ill-tempered species, and he couldn't fathom why she would want to draw one for her sick father!

"Oh… erm, how exciting!" he managed. "And that will cheer your daddy up?"

Leia shrugged. "I jes' wanted to draw one, 'cause they're big and you can't ride them. And Daddy doesn't like riding things."

Obi-wan had to admit that was true; Anakin never did enjoy riding live animals.

When the pictures were finished, Obi-wan wrote "Get well soon" on each one, then helped the children sign their names.

Luke suddenly looked up, perturbed. "We didn't make cards for Mommy when she was sick!" he cried.

Leia looked upset, then brightened. "Let's make her some now, then! I'll draw flowers on Naboo!"

"An' I'll draw a sunset!"

The children busily set back to work, and at their insistence, Obi-wan added a "Get well" message to the second set of pictures, even though Padmé was already well.

By the time the pictures were finished, it was lunchtime, and Padmé came into the kitchen. The twins ran excitedly to show her their pictures.

"Oh, how lovely!" she exclaimed, although Obi-wan saw an expression of confusion flit across her face when she read the "Get well" messages addressed to her. "Daddy is sleeping right now, so you can give the pictures to him after lunch and your naps. Now, it's time to eat, so I will ask Master Kenobi to put away the flimsi and color sticks and then go sit by Daddy." She turned to address Obi-wan. "He hasn't thrown up in a while; I think he might be through that part. But his fever's spiked – it usually does around this point. He is asleep right now, and I gave him a fever reducer, so he shouldn't need any more for a while. If he wakes up, though, I need you to make sure he stays in bed and drinks plenty of water. As I'm sure you know, he can be difficult about that when he has stomach flu. I'm going to feed these two, then put them down for their nap. And if you don't mind, I might take a short nap then, too."

Obi-wan smiled. "That would be fine with me," he said, and went to look after Anakin.

The young man was sleeping deeply on his side, his pale face mostly hidden in the pillow, his curly hair tangled. He now wore a sleep shirt and sleep pants, and was partially covered by blankets. His clothing was dumped in a heap at the foot of the bed, and there was a bucket on the floor next to the head. On the nightstand were two glasses, one filled with water and the other with what Obi-wan knew was an electrolyte fluid, a box of tissues, a thermometer, and a package of fever reducer tablets. There was a chair next to it; Obi-wan sat in it and waited for Anakin to awake.

He slept fitfully, tossing and turning for perhaps an hour, before awakening. He looked up and saw Obi-wan. "Hi," he said weakly.

"It's nice to see you too," said Obi-wan cheerfully. "All the rest of your family is sleeping."

Anakin looked dully at him. "Maybe you should go and check on them," he suggested.

Obi-wan laughed. "I know you too well, Anakin," he said. "You just want to try to escape and get out of bed. Although I can't imagine what you would want to do; you can't be wanting to go to the Temple."

Anakin turned away from him to stare at the ceiling. "I'm hot," he said grumpily, pouting. He kicked at the blankets that were twisted around his legs until they slid completely off him and onto the floor, then unbuttoned his sleep shirt and shrugged it off his shoulders. He flung his arms and legs out wide and shut his eyes.

Obi-wan reached over and touched his forehead. "You're right, you are hot. Why don't you drink some water or some of this?" he said, offering the glass of electrolyte.

Anakin turned his head away. "Don't want to," he said childishly.

"Do you feel sick?" inquired Obi-wan.

"No."

"Well, then, drink something. A sip or two of electrolyte, or of water. Your choice."

Anakin huffed a sigh, then rolled over. "I guess water."

Obi-wan handed him the glass, and he sat up and sipped from it, then handed it back and lay down again.

"I hate being sick," he said, glaring vengefully at the ceiling.

"You are hardly unique in that; I have yet to meet someone who enjoys it," said Obi-wan calmly.

"I wanted to get back to work at the Temple today. I already had a bunch of time off last week. Now when I do get back, everybody's gonna poke at me for taking more unscheduled vacation. And I hate staying in bed. I'm bored." He was whining now.

"Well, maybe you should go to sleep again then," said Obi-wan.

"I just _was_ asleep. I'm tired of sleeping. I wanna get up."

"You have my permission to sit up, if you will drink some of this electrolyte when you do it."

Anakin sighed, sat up again, and reached for the glass. When he had taken several sips, he gave back the glass and lay down again as he had before.

"I'm still hot," he whined.

Obi-wan stood up. "Stay in bed. I'll be right back." He went and got a damp, cool cloth to put on Anakin's forehead.

"Lie still," he instructed, and placed it on. Anakin immediately began to wriggle and toss and turn until the cloth finally slid off. Obi-wan sighed and picked it up again and replaced it.

Anakin squirmed some more, then got up and stood shakily on the floor.

"Where do you think you're going?" demanded Obi-wan.

"I have to use the refresher,' was the sullen reply. Obi-wan let him go but kept an eye on the time, to make sure he didn't try to go off and work on his droids or something. Fortunately, Anakin returned of his own accord and flopped on his bed, shivering.

"I'm c-cold," he wailed, clutching his sleep shirt around him.

"Maybe you shouldn't kick your blankets off any more, then."

"I was hot then!" he fussed.

Obi-wan shook his head. "Honestly, Anakin! You're such a baby when you're sick! You're worse to care for than your actual children! Who behaved quite well today, actually."

"Of course, they behave well for you, but for me, they're little... droidekas."

"That's the way children are. Drink another sip of water, and then I'll get your blankets back for you."

Anakin shakily sat up and took another drink. When he was settled again, Obi-wan reached down and gathered up he blankets, then heaped them on top of Anakin. "There. That ought to do it!"

"Thanks," Anakin managed croaked raspily. His eyes closed, and a few minutes later, he was asleep again. Obi-wan reveled in the silence; Anakin could be a taxing patient to care for.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim Star Wars.**

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Unfortunately, Anakin slept restlessly, and not for very long. Obi-wan had only been meditating for about half and hour when he was suddenly smacked in the face by something large, soft, and heavy. He quickly flung it to the floor and scanned the room for danger, but all he found was Anakin lying casually on his side, his head on Padmé's pillow, his eyes wide open and watching Obi-wan past the spot where his own pillow had once been.

Obi-wan gave him a look of disgust.

"I'm bored. I wanted to see what you would do. My head hurts."

"Wouldn't have been easier to throw Padmé's pillow? Then you wouldn't have had to move."

"Hers is cool. Mine's not."

"You could have just turned yours over," said Obi-wan, picking up Anakin's pillow from off the floor.

"Uh-uh."

The pillow was warm to the touch on both sides. Obi-wan set it down on the chair, then went over and felt his pillow-flinging friend's forehead again. It was very warm.

"Stop, your hands are cold!" wailed Anakin, turning his face away.

Obi-wan consulted the instructions on the fever reducer. Another two hours at least before he could give Anakin another dose.

"I'll be right back," he told Anakin. "Drink some water or something while I'm gone." He re-wet the cloth he had used before with more cool water, then stuck it Padmé's freezer for a few seconds. He saw a couple of cold packs inside and made a mental note to use them next time. He carried the cloth back to the bedroom. Anakin was sitting on the bed, arms crossed, staring defiantly at the glasses of fluid that sat on his nightstand.

"Oh, for goodness' sake, Anakin, stop acting like a four-year-old and drink your water!"

"I don't want to throw up."

"Do you feel sick?"

"No."

"Then try some! You'll be fine, just like before!"

Anakin scowled and grabbed the glass of water and took a tiny sip, deliberately spilling some on the comforter.

"More than that!"

He took a big gulp of water.

"Swallow," commanded Obi-wan.

He obeyed, then shoved the glass back at Obi-wan.

"You are perfectly capable of putting it back on the table yourself."

He scowled more, but did as he was told.

"Now, lie down."

"My pillow's over there."

"I thought you wanted Padmé's pillow."

"It's not cool anymore."

Sighing in exasperation, Obi-wan picked up the pillow and put it back where it belonged. "But no more throwing them. Now, lie still." He held the cloth to Anakin's head.

Anakin grimaced. "It's cold!" he howled, squirming and twisting and wriggling as much as he possibly could.

"I thought you wanted cold."

"Cool! This is freezing!"

"Anakin, just live with it! It'll warm up in a few seconds! Don't you want to get better?"

"Mmmmmmm!" Anakin grunted. He kicked his blankets vigorously into a wad at the foot of the bed.

Obi-wan sighed again. "Anakin, you make your three-year-old twins look mature!"

"Oh yeah? Well, you shoulda been here when they were all sick last week! They both wanted Mommy all the time, and this hurt, and that hurt, and Luke wouldn't take his medicine, and Leia wouldn't sleep, and they didn't want to stay in bed, and they kept saying they were bored, and didn't sleep at night…"

Obi-wan couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"What?" asked Anakin, completely oblivious.

"Nothing. You wouldn't like it if I told you anyway."

"How do you know?" Anakin demanded, pouting. "I might like it."

"No."

Anakin scowled. "Mmmm!" he grunted again, demonstrating his displeasure.

He refused to lie still on the bed, instead tossing and turning and twisting about so that Obi-wan had to hold the washcloth on his head.

Just then the door opened, and Padmé came in. "How are we doing?" she asked, suppressing a yawn.

Obi-wan turned his head to look at her, his hands still holding the cloth. "Uncooperative, restless, and feverish."

"I'm bored!" growled Anakin.

Padmé shook her head. "Oh, Anakin. Obi-wan, the twins are awake now, so if you are tired of trying to deal with Anakin, you could take over with them again."

"Whatever you prefer," said Obi-wan. The door opened again, and Luke's head poked in. "Mommy, can we show Daddy our pi'tures yet?"

"In a minute, Luke." The blonde head was withdrawn, and the door shut again. Padmé stood thinking for a minute. "Anakin is bored, and the kids want to show him their pictures," she mused.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here!" said Anakin.

Padmé ignored him. "Why don't we put Anakin on the couch in the living room?" she said. "Then, maybe he'll stop saying he's bored. And it'll help keep him awake until it's time for his next dose of medicine."

"Yes!" shouted Anakin, sitting up. "Please, let me out of this room before I die of boredom!"

"So dramatic," said Padmé with a smile. "Come on, let's get you set up on the couch. Obi-wan, if you'll get his things?" She picked up Anakin's pillow, the box of tissues, and the glass of water and followed behind Anakin as he toddled into the living room. He started out confidently, but they could see from the way he walked that he was a little lightheaded. When he reached the couch, he was quite willing to lie down and relax. Padmé put the pillow at one end of the couch and got a couple of extra blankets from a shelf in the closet. Obi-wan put the rest of the things on the end table.

Luke and Leia came running in. "Daddeeee!" they screamed, and jumped on top of Anakin, knocking the breath out of him. "Unh!" he grunted.

"No! Luke and Leia! You know better than that! You don't jump on Daddy when he's sick!" Padmé shouted in exasperation.

"Sorry, Daddy!' giggled the twins. "We made you a well pi'ture!" offered Leia excitedly, thrusting her drawing into Anakin's hands.

"A 'well picture'?" he asked in confusion.

"Get-well cards," Obi-wan explained.

"Oh! How… nice," said Anakin, a little tiredly. "Uh… what are they?"

"Mine's us all together, and you all better!" Luke announced happily.

"An' mine's a gundark!" said Leia, looking quite pleased with herself.

"A gundark?" poor Anakin said, absolutely baffled.

"Maybe she wants you well and strong enough to pull the ears off one!" chuckled Obi-wan.

"We made some for Mommy, too, 'cause we didn' make her one when she was sick! I made flowers on Naboo, and Luke made a sunset!"

"Great!" Anakin said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. He was obviously beginning to tire. To Obi-wan, he said, "Padmé gets flowers, and I get a gundark!"

The children continued to frolic around the room, but Anakin clearly was worn out. Obi-wan had an idea. "Padmé, would it be all right if I took Luke and Leia to the Temple and took them on a walk in the Room of a Thousand Fountains? That way, they will get out of the house and Anakin can get some rest."

Padmé thought for a moment. "That would be lovely," she said finally. Obi-wan called the children and told them his plan.

"Yippeeeee!" they cried. "We're going for a walk, going for a walk!" they chanted, jumping up and down excitedly. Anakin observed silently, trying to hold his eyes open.

"Why don't you relax and try to sleep while we're gone, Anakin?" Obi-wan suggested.

But Anakin was stubborn. "I'm bored. I want to watch HoloNet."

Padmé sighed and rolled her eyes, but there was an amused smile on her face as she turned the HoloNet on. Anakin stared at it, eyelids drooping.

"He can be such a child sometimes," said Padmé. "I think he doesn't like to admit weakness, and it bothers him when he can't hide it."

Obi-wan nodded knowingly. "He's always had a little more pride than perhaps was good for him."

Padmé bent down to kiss her children goodbye. "Now, you two had better behave for Mr. Kenobi," she told them.

"We will!"

"I'll have them back in an hour and a half, maybe two," Obi-wan told Padmé. "Will that be enough time to get Anakin to fall asleep?"

Padmé just nodded over at the couch, where Anakin was already out cold, despite the HoloNet being on.

Obi-wan laughed softly. "Yes, that's Anakin all right. Well, we'll be back in a while." He led the children out to the speeder and drove off to the Temple.

Once there, he led them through the halls toward the Room of a Thousand Fountains. They were about halfway there when Luke suddenly announced. "I gots ta go to the 'fresher."

"Me, too!" added Leia, squirming a little.

Though they were right next to the refreshers, this was a bit of a conundrum; Obi-wan couldn't take Leia into the men's refresher, but he also couldn't go into the women's with her! He quickly scoured his brain for a solution. Both of the children were beginning to look rather distressed when Siri happened along. Obi-wan sighed in relief. "

"Could you please take her to the refresher for me?" he asked.

She smiled kindly. "Of course," she said, and took the little girl by the hand and led her in, while Obi-wan took Luke to the men's.

When they met again outside, Siri asked, "Aren't these Anakin's two?"

"Yes," said Obi-wan. "He's ill today, and I am taking them to the Room of a Thousand Fountains to get them out of the house for a while."

"Well, that was sweet of you!" she said. "I hope you have a good time!" Just like that, she flashed him a smile and was gone. Obi-wan felt his cheeks redden slightly, but he cleared his throat and led the children on.

They were satisfyingly thrilled when they reached the huge room, full of lush grasses, trees, and of course, bubbling, splashing, trickling fountains and pools of water.

Leia skipped joyously down the path. "Come on, Lukie!" she cried, grabbing her brother's hand trying to drag him along. "Skip with me!"

Luke held back. "Skipping's for girls," he said with something akin to disgust.

Obi-wan saw Leia let go of her twin; her brown eyes grew extra shiny and her lower lip began to tremble. Attempting to avert disaster, Obi-wan quickly assured Luke that it was indeed permissible for boys to skip, too. Luke looked at him dubiously for a minute, then brightened. "Okay!" he said cheerfully, and the two of them skipped down the path, hand in hand. Obi-wan followed at a more dignified pace, but kept them in sight.

Unfortunately, they still managed to find a puddle to splash in and had completely soaked their shoes and socks by the time Obi-wan was able to get their attention. "Your Mommy will not like that you got your shoes all wet," he reprimanded gently. "Come, get out of the puddle, and we'll walk a little bit more to dry them out." Luke complied, but Leia stood and pouted for a moment. Finally, she splashily stomped out, arms crossed. Obi-wan was thinking how much she was like Anakin had been as a child when she somehow slipped and landed on her bottom in the puddle of water. She sat there for a moment, surprised, then let out a wail.

"Oh, dear. Come now, it's all right, you'll be fine. You're no hurt, you just got a little wet, that's all." He idly wondered why it was that she was perfectly happy to splash in the water, but when she accidentally fell in it, it was a traumatic experience.

The little girl continued to cry, even as Obi-wan helped her out of the puddle. She stood there on the path, tears streaming down her face, until Obi-wan finally picked her up and hugged her, ignoring the fact that the front of his robes got soaked from the chest down because of her dripping wet dress. "There, there," he soothed, holding her close as he carried her down the path. She buried her face in his shoulder for a minute, then popped up and squirmed to get down, her sobs ceased, and only a few sniffles and telltale tears indicated that anything had been wrong.

"I'm okay now," she sniffed. "Let's go!"

"I think we will go back and return home, so we can put you in dry clothes, Leia."

"Okay." The children turned around and began skipping back. Suddenly, Luke stumbled and fell flat on his face, arms extended. He lay there, stunned, for several seconds, then began to scream. Obi-wan rushed to his side. One of the knees had been torn out of his pants, and both of his knees were scraped and bleeding, as were the heels of his hands. Obi-wan scooped him up in his arms and led both children to the infirmary for some bacta. Leia watched with interest as Obi-wan washed Luke's wounds and applied the bacta to them.

Suddenly, she piped up. "I want some, too!"

"But you aren't hurt," observed Obi-wan

"Yes I am! I falled down before!"

"You don't need bacta for that!"

"But I want some. Please?"

Obi-wan indulged her and painted a tiny streak on her hand. She seemed satisfied, and Luke had stopped crying, so Obi-wan began leading them out of the infirmary.

"Wait!" said the Healer who was in charge of the waiting room. "Little boys who are good when we patch them up get these!" She handed Luke a red lollipop. He rewarded her with a big smile, then pulled the wrapper off and stuck it in his mouth.

Leia's eyes got big. "What about little girls who are good?" she asked.

The Healer smiled benevolently. "They get purple ones!" she said, handing one to Leia. She also immediately set to work on it.

"What do you say?" asked Obi-wan.

"Thlank lou!" they said around the lollipops.

Obi-wan looked at his chrono. "Well, the time has gone by!" he exclaimed. "I told Mommy that we'd be back half an hour from now, so we had better go back to the speeder. Come, don't walk with those in your mouths, you'll choke!" They walked the fifteen minutes back to the speeder, then took of and headed for home, the twins once again contentedly sucking their lollipops.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: The author of this pseudo-literature does not have possession of the motion picture **_**Astronomic Conflict**_**, or any portion thereof.**

Sorry it has been such a long time since I updated this; homework and my primary story have usurped the time I would otherwise have used for it. But, I have finally gotten around to adding this last chapter.

Reviews keep me writing! I want more!

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Padmé stood with her hands on her hips, regarding her children. Leia's dress was wet from the waist down, and Luke's pants had one of the knees torn out of them. Both children looked bedraggled, and both were chewing on soggy lollipop sticks, sticky rings around their mouths and on their hands. Padmé sighed loudly.

"What have you two put poor Master Kenobi through?" she said in exasperation.

Obi-wan quickly recounted their adventures at the Temple.

Padmé slapped her hand across her eyes. "What am I going to do with you two? Obi-wan, I'm sorry they were so much trouble."

"Oh, I assure you, it wasn't a problem. Children are like that; Anakin certainly was. I am only sorry that I am returning your treasures to you in such poor condition."

"Oh, believe me, they nearly always are like this. Until now, they have been on exceptionally good behavior today. Come, Luke, Leia, let's get you two cleaned up!"

Obi-wan followed Padmé as she took the children into the refresher and washed their sticky hands and faces, then continued into their bedroom to change them into fresh clothes.

"Even now, I can hardly believe some of the stories Anakin has told me," commented Obi-wan as he watched Padmé dress her children.

"Oh, did he tell you about our little trip to the emergency room the other night?" asked Padmé, arching one eyebrow.

Obi-wan chuckled. "Yes, in great detail. But today it was nothing like that; Luke and Leia were simply a little accident-prone, again rather like their father."

Padmé laughed, too. "Yes, accident-prone is a very good way to describe all three of them!"

With the children now dressed, they made their way back toward the living room.

"Speaking of Anakin, how is he now? Is he doing any better?"

Padmé sighed. "Not a lot. I think he's over the worst part, and his fever's a little less, but he's still pretty tired and very, very cranky. His age changes when he's sick; subtract about twenty years from his real age and you'll have it!" she finished with a rueful laugh.

"I heard that!" came an indignant shout from the couch.

"Oh, dear, he's awake again," she mumbled, then ran over to his side. "Is it true, Anakin, or is it true?" she said with a bright smile.

Anakin blushed and turned his face toward the back of the couch. "Iv vernt ownet arnen," he said into the cushions.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that," said Padmé cheerfully. "Maybe you should try talking to me instead of to the sofa cushions!"

Anakin rolled back over. "I want HoloNet on again!" he shouted, pouting. "Why'd you turn it off in the first place?"

"Because you were asleep, fussy one," said Padmé, planting a kiss on his feverish cheek. Anakin blushed again.

"I want HoloNet on!" he repeated.

Padmé, still smiling brilliantly, handed him a remote. He looked surprised. She smiled still wider, laughing at him again. "Ani, you're twenty-five. I think you're probably capable of turning the HoloNet on by yourself, even if you are sick!" She waltzed away, humming.

Anakin stared at the remote in his hand. Then he powered the HoloNet on and changed the channel to a shockball tournament. Obi-wan sat and watched the whole drama with amusement.

Padmé came back in. "No wonder you fever isn't going down!" she exclaimed. "You slept through the time when you should have gotten your next dose of medicine. Here, take it now – and drink some of this electrolyte, too.

Anakin's face wrinkled with displeasure. "I hate swallowing pills!" he challenged. "And I hate that electrolyte stuff when it's warm!"

"So do the rest of us. Take your medicine, it will make you feel better; and guess what? I have some chilled electrolyte just for you! Here you are!"

Anakin frowned, but drank the beverage and took the pills.

Padmé turned her attention on Luke and Leia. "Oh, dear," she said. "That reminds me. You two haven't had your vitamins today. I was so worried about Daddy being sick that I forgot all about them. Here, come get them now."

Luke obediently ran toward his mother to receive his vitamin. Leia, however, dragged her feet, grumbling, "I don't like vitamins! I don't wanna take 'em!"

Anakin gave her a fatherly warning look from his spot on the sofa. "Leia, you do what your Mommy tells you. Besides, vitamins are good for you."

"Well, you should talk, Anakin!" exclaimed Obi-wan, chuckling. "What were you complaining about not five minutes ago? Where do you suppose she gets these ideas?"

Anakin scowled childishly. "That's different."

"Oh, of course," teased Obi-wan.

After her errand into the kitchen to retrieve the vitamins, Padmé suddenly put her hands to her cheeks. "Oh, goodness, Obi-wan, what a terrible hostess I am! You've been here all day, and I haven't offered you anything to eat! I am so sorry!" she said, chagrined.

"Oh, that's all right," said Obi-wan amiably. "I can't imagine how difficult it must be to take care of three young children as you do; I could barely handle Anakin alone."

"Hey, wait a minute," said Anakin. "You said three young children."

"Yes?"

"We only have two kids."

The older Jedi favored him with a perfectly serious, perfectly affected expression. "_You_ do. But the way I see it, Padmé here has _three_ young Skywalkers to take care of."

Anakin looked confused.

Obi-wan grinned broadly. "You must be sick, Anakin, or you'd have caught that by now. You should lie down and rest some more!"

"What makes you think I didn't get it?"

"If you had, you'd be attacking me by now!"

Suddenly, the meaning of Obi-wan's remark made it into Anakin's feverish brain. He flashed Obi-wan a glare that could have warped durasteel and sent his pillow flying toward his former Master once again. This time, however, Obi-wan caught it.

"Nice try, Anakin. Remember what I told you before? No more pillow throwing! I guess if you don't want it, I'll just hang on to it."

"Give it back, Obi-wan," Anakin said peevishly.

"Why? So you can throw it at me again?"

"I want it!"

Obi-wan rolled his eyes. "Do we have to go all the way back to this lesson? What do you say?"

"Please, Obi-wan!"

"Ah! You remember! Very good, Anakin!" Obi-wan joked as he returned the pillow to its owner. "Now, what do you say?"

"Thnk You!" growled Anakin through clenched teeth.

Obi-wan just laughed at him.

They watched Luke and Leia play for a little while longer. Leia had initially been playing with a doll, but she quickly abandoned it for Luke's toy clone soldiers. Now she was lining them up in straight rows, while Luke dubiously contemplated the doll from a distance. Finally, he picked it up and carried it over to Leia.

"Can I have my troopers back now?" he asked

"No, I'm playing with them," declared Leia.

"But they're mine!"

"You gotta share, Luke."

"Fine! Then I'm playing with your dolly!" He held the toy up and said, "Poor dolly. Leia won't play with you. But it's okay, I will!" He proceeded to toss the doll into the air; on occasion, he even caught it. Most of the time, however, it landed the floor, although twice it ended up in Obi-wan's lap, and once over Anakin's face.

"Kids," he muttered as he pushed the offending object to the floor. "They cause trouble and make messes and give you the flu."

"Anakin, if I had a credit for every time you caused trouble or gave me an illness, I could add another whole spire to the Temple!" said Obi-wan, even though he knew that Anakin loved his children dearly and simply wanted something to complain about.

Padmé chimed in. "And everything that makes taking care of them when they're sick difficult, you've done today!"

Anakin half sat up, looking indignant. "At least _I_ told you I didn't feel good," he said to Padmé.

Obi-wan snorted. "Yes, but you tried to hide it from me and come to the Temple anyway! The fact of the matter is, Anakin, the Force has given you exactly what you deserve – two children exactly like you! It's punishment for what you put the rest of us through all these years!"

Anakin was prepared to throw his pillow again, but instead, he wisely looked around for something else to hurl at Obi-wan. All he found was a tissue, but it floated to the ground before ever making it to Obi-wan, who was laughing uproariously, as was Padmé. The Anakin spied the HoloNet remote and launched it toward Obi-wan's midsection. It hit him square in the chest, depressing the button and turning the HoloNet off.

"Blast," said Anakin, as Obi-wan and Padmé laughed even harder. The twins came running over and, upon seeing their mother and Obi-wan doubled over with laughter, burst out laughing, too. Anakin sat on the couch, scowling, for as long as he could manage it, before he, too, finally broke into laughter.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Later that night, Obi-wan smiled broadly as he drove his speeder back to the Temple. He knew that revenge had no place in a Jedi's life, but he secretly drew much satisfaction from the idea of Anakin having to raise children just like himself.

_Justice does come, Anakin,_ he thought with a blissful smile.. _Justice does come._


End file.
